Morning Newspaper Report

The headlines of the leading newspapers on 02 November 2026:

NATIONAL:

# Business Day:

Reports political parties held their final election rallies over the weekend to canvass for votes ahead of the local government elections. The paper writes failures in service delivery and corruption dominated the campaign messaging.

# And the Netwerk24 website:

Reports the ANC’s final election rally in KuGompo City [East London] drew thousands of supporters. The stadium, which has a capacity of 17-thousand, was already full by the morning, even as more buses and taxis carrying supporters continued to arrive. The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces where the ANC enjoys significant support.

Furthermore, the website writes 20-year-old Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest Formula 1 world champion following a spectacular performance at the Mexican Grand Prix, where he finished third.

GAUTENG:

# The Star:

Writes former president Jacob Zuma has returned to participate in the MK Party’s election campaign after spending 11 days in the hospital. He addressed thousands of his party’s supporters in KwaMashu on Sunday. The paper reports the 84-year-old former president made his first in-person public appearance at the Princess Magogo Stadium in Durban since his discharge from the hospital on October 17.

# Sowetan:

Reports the EFF suffered a humiliating defeat after the Electoral Court ruled that one of its candidates, Sivuyile Tshikila, had been nominated without his knowledge and against his will. The court ruled that Tshikila had already resigned from the party when the EFF included him on the candidate list.

# And The Citizen:

Writes the water situation in Johannesburg has worsened further. No action plan has been drawn up, and there is no sign of any crisis management. Furthermore, there is no communication from the city council, while some areas have already had to manage without water for eleven days.

WESTERN CAPE:

# Die Burger:

Reports DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis says there are only two contenders in Wednesday’s race: the ANC or the DA. During the final election rally in Mamelodi, Pretoria, he stated that the downfall of the ANC marks the beginning of South Africa’s recovery.

Secondly, the paper writes the Western Cape police have opened an inquest into the death of Toheer Lewis, an eight-year-old Grade 1 learner from Manenberg Primary School, who allegedly sustained injuries during an incident involving fireworks in Manenberg.

EASTERN CAPE:

# The Herald in Gqeberha:

Reports on a high school in Gqeberha that has been hit by a massive cyberattack. The personal information of teachers and learners has been compromised, and the school is currently taking steps to address the issue.

KWAZULU-NATAL:

# The Witness in Pietermaritzburg:

Also covers Zuma’s return to the election campaign, reporting that it has breathed new life into the MK Party’s supporters.

And secondly, the paper writes about all the other parties that concluded their election campaigns this weekend.

And finally, from NAMIBIA:

# Republikein in Windhoek:

Reports two interest rate hikes this year by the Bank of Namibia mean homeowners must cough up thousands of rands more to repay their debt.

Furthermore, the paper writes despite the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the Karas Region—and the dampening effect this has had on exhibitors and the region—the 70th Keetmanshoop Agricultural, Industrial, and Tourism Show was still able to go ahead.